


Red Queen - 50 Sentence Challenge

by shan_love



Series: Red Queen Prompt Challenges [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: 1 Sentence Fiction, 50 Sentences, Angst, Blood, Challenges, Character Death, Character Study, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-01
Updated: 2014-03-01
Packaged: 2018-01-14 05:16:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1254217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shan_love/pseuds/shan_love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>#09 - War</p><p>Though her gaze is centered on Snow if, every few moments, her eyes happen to stray to the left, to the woman in the hood red in both color and stain…well, who would think to question her reasons for wanting to keep track of a werewolf on the night of the full moon?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Queen - 50 Sentence Challenge

**Author's Note:**

> 50 prompt words, listed in order below, and you only get ONE sentence each. No need for chronological order but SERIOUS bonus points if they are! 
> 
> You don’t have to actually USE the prompt word but can use the SPIRIT or ESSENCE of the word instead.

#01 – Walking

Ruby usually isn’t much for walking – running, now, that’s a _whole_ different story; the wolf loves to run, to race, and, in turn, so does she – but, as she watches Regina coming slowly towards her, hips swaying demurely beneath a gown of white, she can’t help but think there might be something to it after all.

#02 – Waltz

She’s never considered herself much of a dancer – twenty-eight years of bump-n-grind doesn’t count, not in her mind at least, and certainly not _here_ – but, then again, any excuse to hold Regina close in public can’t be all bad, right?

#03 – Wishes

She was never much of a wishful thinker, even in her darkest days she saw little point in pretending, even for a moment, that things could be different if only she believed it hard enough; and yet, somehow, despite that – or perhaps because of it? – it seems all her wishes have come true anyway.

#04 – Wonder

Ruby looks up from the bundle in her arms and _that’s_ when she notices it; a sort of wide-eyed wonder in place of the wolf’s inherent wildness, a softness that, had she been standing, would have surely forced her to her knees.

#05 – Worry

Despite having lived through Henry’s countless skinned knees and bloody noses, she can’t help the pang of worry that happens every time little Arianna stumbles.

#06 – Whimsy

Her unbridled sense of enthusiasm increases tenfold as the holidays approach and it _should_ grate the nerves but, somehow, Regina only manages to find it endearing; she tries not to read too much into it.

#07 – Waste/Wasteland

The palace of her ex-rival stands burned and abandoned before her, a now-crumbling wreck in place of its’ former glory, and the wasteland that was its majesty _should_ bring her some sense of satisfaction, she knows; she blames the distinct lack of it solely on the horrific look that’s etched itself across Ruby’s features.

#08 – Whiskey And Rum

The kiss tastes of whiskey and rum, though which taste actually belonged on her tongue in the first place she can’t really remember; not with the way her head’s spinning from both the alcohol and something so inherently _Regina_ it makes her weak at the knees.

#09 - War

Though her gaze is centered on Snow if, every few moments, her eyes happen to stray to the left, to the woman in the hood red in both color and stain…well, who would think to question her reasons for wanting to keep track of a werewolf on the night of the full moon?

#10 - Weddings

She’s sure her invitation to the princesses nuptials came at Ruby’s behest – the none-too-subtle glares she received upon arrival and every moment since all but _scream_ it – but, as the werewolf in question pulls her from her chair and onto the dance floor, she can’t bring herself to mind.

#11 - Birthday

Expecting to spend her birthday alone, especially since she’d already received a card with Henry’s name hastily scrawled across it, she couldn’t quite mask her surprise when she opened her door to find none other than Ruby Lucas standing there, a messily wrapped gift half-heartedly concealed behind her back and a sheepish smile tugging at painted lips.

#12 - Blessing

Ruby had never believed in miracles, not for people like her, at least; but that all changed the second she stepped into that sterile little room and found perfection in the most unexpected form of a pink baby blanket and a hospital bed.

#13 - Bias

It wasn’t bias exactly but, because of who and what she was, what she’d been through, when she looked at Regina, she could see past the awful things she’d done (and, make no mistake, they _had_ been awful) to the woman herself; and, _gods_ , what a sight.

#14 - Burning

When it came to Regina Mills, you didn’t have the luxury of _falling_ in love with her; no, being in love with Regina meant burning up from the inside out and, if you were lucky - unusually, astonishingly, _extraordinarily_ lucky - then maybe, just _maybe_ , she’d burn with you (and, funnily enough, Ruby had never felt luckier).

#15 - Breathing

“No, no no no _Ruby_ , you stay with me- you stay _with_ me and you _fight,_ damn it; I-I know it hurts but you have to- just…just keep breathing… _please_ , Red, just _breathe_ ,”

#16 - Breaking

It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen this coming - she had, from the very beginning - it was that she hadn’t expected it to _hurt_ so much, for it to feel like her heart was breaking, like it had been crushed to dust even though it lay, still beating, inside her chest; she hadn’t expected to fall in love with her.

#17 - Belief

“Your faith in me is, well…it’s more than I’ve had in a long time, maybe…maybe more than I’ve _ever_ had, and I…with everything I am, I love you for it,”

#18 - Balloon

During a trip to Storybrooke’s annual spring carnival, a well-executed (manipulative) pout, a (not so) exasperated sigh, and three dollars turned Ruby and Regina – but, admittedly, mostly Ruby – into the proud parents of a bouncing, baby balloon.

#19 - Balcony

Regina leaned out over the heavy railing, her thoughts lazy as her eyes watched the sun finally drift below the horizon, turning the sea into a kaleidoscope of color; in fact, she was so absorbed in the view that she couldn’t help but stiffen slightly when two arms slipped around her waist, firmly anchoring both her thoughts and her body.

#20 - Bane

At Regina’s incredulous expression, she moved to explain, “It’s wolfsbane, though, uh, you probably know that already; but, with the blood moon coming and the wolf being so unpredictable lately, I just, I wanted…I _need_ you to be safe,”

#21 - Quiet

There had been a time when Regina relished the quiet moments above almost everything else, especially the few hours each night when she could sit back, maybe with a glass of wine, and read that last chapter or finish those reports due Monday; but, now that the majority of her hours were filled with talking and laughing or, sometimes, just the sound of Ruby’s heartbeat, she couldn’t quite remember _why_.

#22 - Quirks

After moving into the manor, Ruby discovered so many little quirks that, for a while, she wondered if she’d known Regina at all before they’d starting living under the same roof.

#23 - Question

“We’re not perfect people, I know that, but the thing is…even if you’re _not_ perfect, you’re the closest thing this world’s ever seen and I’m well, selfish, I guess, because I have the chance to keep you all to myself and I’ll be damned if I don’t take it so…I’ve got a question for you, Regina: will you marry me?”

#24 - Quarrel

Regina quickly learned not to start fights around wolfs time because, not only was it nearly _impossible_ to hold a civilized argument with a werewolf on the cusp of turning, but she doesn’t even get the satisfaction of _yelling_ at her; before she could even open her mouth she’d find herself staring into literal puppy eyes and, former Evil Queen or not, she can’t seem to bring herself to yell at an animal (not until she was back on two legs, anyway).

#25 - Quitting

After she found out she was pregnant, Ruby was _constantly_ on edge, to the point where even the slightest, most inconsequential things had the power to send her from one side of the emotional spectrum to the other; still, it wasn’t until she stomped into the manor one afternoon, hell bent on quitting her job at _Granny’s_ due to some perceived injustice that Regina finally agreed to make the news public.

#26 - Jump

Regina was all right with Ruby teaching their daughter how to climb trees (or, rather, she’d made her peace with it, at least); however, the second she started showing her the proper way to jump _out_ of them, her peace of mind all but _demanded_ she draw the line.

#27 - Jester

When they first started seeing each other, it quickly became apparent that, when she smiled, Regina was the single most beautiful thing Ruby had ever seen and, very soon after that, it became _equally_ apparent that the only way she actually got to _see_ that smile was by acting like a complete and utter fool; it was totally worth it.

#28 - Jousting

Jousting had never been the Queen’s favorite pastime – honestly, any game where men had a legitimate excuse to compare the size of their, ahem, _lances_ was lost on her – but, keeping that in mind, the first time Snow White’s famed ‘Scarlet Lady’ removed her helm and flashed forest green eyes her way she couldn’t help but wonder how strong a lance it would take to knock her flat.

#29 - Jewel

As a queen, both evil and otherwise, Regina had seen more than her fair share of treasure – flawless diamonds raised from the deepest mines, sapphires bluer than the sky itself – but she never could have anticipated the unparalleled beauty of the jewel that was Ruby.

#30 - Just

The world was not a just place, not for people like them; but, having to watch Regina fall in her stead, the single arrow protruding from her chest tipped with deadly silver, seemed a far crueler fate than either of them deserved.

#31 - Smirk

Standing there, her chest heaving as she wipes her former allies’ blood from the corner of her mouth, she offers the woman beside her a wicked smirk, all but _quivering_ with desire as the gesture is returned full force.

#32 - Sorrow

With her blood still wet on the snow, the wolf howled her sorrows to the moon above and, as always, it’s pale face was unmoved by her mournful cries.

#33 - Stupidity

“Miss Lucas, you _will_ get down off that roof before this stupidity gets you kil- Red!”

#34 - Serenade

When it finally came out that Ruby’s idea of a lullaby was an acoustic-esque version of Bon Jovi’s _If I Was Your Mother_ , she was all but _banned_ from putting the baby to sleep.

#35 - Sarcasm

As it turned out, Regina was fluent in three languages: English, Spanish, and Sarcasm; unfortunately for Ruby, she was only fluent in one and a half of those (apparently, Flippancy and Sarcasm weren’t _actually_ the same thing; who knew?).

#36 - Sordid

Despite her rather sordid reputation, Regina was surprised to learn she was the first and, if she had anything to say about it, the _only_ woman Ruby had ever slept with.

#37 - Soliloquy

“Gods, I feel like I’m losing my _mind_ and-and here I am talking to myself, out loud, like a frickin’ mental patient; yeah, that’ll convince everyone you’re sane - good call, Ruby,”

#38 - Sojourn

In an effort to prepare Ari for her first shift, at least twice a month Ruby and she would take brief trips into the woods; once there, she would explore or, sometimes, just sit and listen to the sounds of the forest as her wolf-mother taught her everything she could while still on two legs.

#39 - Share

Though Regina was more than partial to her routine, which had changed surprisingly little during her twenty-eight years in Storybrooke, she found it wasn’t entirely unpleasant sharing her time, not to mention her space, with someone else (especially when that someone else was Ruby).

#40 - Solitary

Like all wolves, Ruby was made for pack life and, though she loved the run itself, she was less than fond of spending those runs alone; this was why, the first time she met Regina in the woods - clothed only in fur and four dirty paws - she couldn’t have stopped the note of joy in her howl any more than she could the quickened beating of her heart.

#41 - Nowhere

There was nowhere left to run, no shelter left to seek; it seemed Snow White had finally caught up to the Evil Queen and her bloody-red wolf.

#42 - Neutral

Despite the often open-air hostility between her soon-to-be-wife and best friend/matron of honor, Ruby stood firm in her self-appointed position of neutrality, never choosing one side over the other and, more often than not, ignoring the pair of them until they managed to work through their pettier differences.

#43 - Nuance

It wasn’t that Regina stopped slinging insults at her when they started dating; it was that, all of a sudden, the words were less pointed and more playful, almost teasing, like an inside joke only the two of them understood.

#44 - Near

After Ruby missed the first two nights of wolfs time in an effort to ensure she’d be on hand should she go into labor – which could happen any day now – the excess energy left her practically bouncing off the walls and, on the third day, Regina all but magicked her out of the house for a run.

#45 - Natural

That their daughter would have magic was a natural assumption to make – after all, it _had_ been at the core of her very creation – but, the idea that she could _also_ be a wolf, despite the fact that Ruby herself would have no part in carrying her, wasn’t something they’d thought to prepare themselves for.

#46 - Horizon

The minute the sun sank below the horizon, Ruby was out the door, her confident stride eating up the ground between the manor and the tree line with ease; trailing slightly behind, young Arianna tried to find her center on unsteady paws, happy little yips slipping free of her muzzle every dozen or so paces.

#47 - Valiant

Lady Red the Valiant was set to be buried with full honors, the likes of which the Enchanted Forest had never seen - Snow had even gone so far as to extend her best friend the honor of being housed in the royal catacombs; but, knowing the shewolf wouldn’t have wanted to spend the rest of her life locked away in the dark, Regina didn’t hesitate to steal her away, burying her deep within the heart of the forest, where her spirit could run with the wolves ‘til the end of time itself.

#48 - Virtuous

Sometimes Ruby says things so salacious they make the more virtuous parts of her, the parts far more ‘Red’ than they are ‘Ruby’, flush as scarlet as her name suggests.

#49 - Victory

In the end, it isn’t Emma but Regina who saves them, who falls leading their desperate final assault, who, in one fell swoop, not only decimated her army but forced the Wicked Witch herself to her knees; afterwards the kingdoms rejoice but all Ruby can think about is her lying there, her body bloody and broken and so unbelievably small, and, suddenly, it doesn’t feel very much like a victory at all.

#50 - Defeat

A boot catches her shoulder and forces her onto her back, the roughness of it sending another spurt of red onto the already sodden ground; she whimpers at the flash of mind-numbing pain but knows nothing could possibly hurt more than the sight of lavender eyes looking out from that achingly familiar face.


End file.
